IAG not to order additional A380 at the time being

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Toulouse - Airbus faces another setback in the sluggish sale of its superjumbo. The British IAG has ended the talks with Airbus about ordering additional A380 aircraft reports Bloomberg. IAG had considered ordering up to 10 more copies.

Negotiations on a follow-up order had been suspended because of the problems with Airbus, such as the delivery delays on the A320neo, which already had caused plenty of frustration in the IAG management.

A resumption of talks is not excluded, said the insiders. IAG and Airbus did not want to comment on the issue. British Airways has already received all its twelve A380 ordered.

IAG boss Willie Walsh had publicly demanded concessions from Airbus and stated that the aircraft manufacturer had to act more lenient in pricing.

At the beginning of May, Walsh referred to discussions with both Airbus and its competitor Boeing. He said that he was particularly more positive about the US manufacturer's approach for IAG's new widebody aircraft orders. We are in a constructive dialogue with Boeing, said the IAG boss.

Airbus had recently announced production cuts due to a lack of demand for the A380. From 2020, only six devices will be produced annually. The Airbus Board, however, expressed the hope to receive higher orders from the airlines in the future.